


Count By Sevens

by insufferableknowitall



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-08 03:08:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14685186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insufferableknowitall/pseuds/insufferableknowitall
Summary: What happens seconds after the Battle of Hogwarts? Minutes? Hours? Years? Follows the lightning era characters in their time after the Battle of Hogwarts, primarily centered on Ron/Hermione





	1. Seven Seconds

**Author's Note:**

> All characters are owned by JKR, obviously

For the first few seconds, silence filled the air. It fell all around and in between them, dancing in front of the tear-soaked, dirt covered faces. Peace. Calm. 

And then, the silence was crushed by the sound of feet, all rushing towards The Boy Who Lived. 

Ron reached him first, a streak of red hair amounts the grey remains of the castle, grabbing onto his best friend whom just moments ago, he had believed to be dead. Hermione reached him next, a second behind Ron due to her significantly shorter legs. Ron and Hermione. Harry sunk into their arms, let Hermione's bushy hair cover his face as more and more people rushed towards him. Ginny's unmistakably red hair. Neville's crooked smile. Seamus's hand on Harry's back. It was...over

Each second felt like it lasted years. They held onto to Harry so tightly, as if they would never let go.


	2. Seven Minutes

Ron felt as though he was in a daze with each minute that passed. As if they were all in a trance, the crowd dispersed and people made their way away from Harry. The sadness of loss crept over the castle. How could they be so happy and so sad at the same time? Ron felt both relief and the ache of Fred's absence at the same time. 

People began to fill the tables of the Great Hall, not bothering to care which House table they were sitting at. The air was filled with chatter as Harry slipped under the invisibility cloak and vanished to wonder the castle alone. Ron found himself in a sea of heartbroken red-heads. He kept a firm grip on Hermione's hand - the single head of dark hair amongst his family. _Her family too_ , he thought. The Weasley's had practically adopted both Harry and Hermione at the age of twelve. That ship had long sailed. 

"Ron," Molly spoke, cupping his face in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wrapped her youngest son into a bear hug. "All year...you were...you were gone." She could barely manage to speak words, stuck in a similar conundrum of feelings, torn between grief and relief. The entire Weasley family was filled with equal parts relief as sadness. Voldemort was gone. But so was Fred. Sitting in the rows of the table, Arthur Weasley held George, whose expression was numb. Next to them, Percy paced back and forth. 

"I know, Mum. I'm okay," Ron replied. From his side, Ron felt Hermione squeeze his hand.

 _The bodies_. Ron shuddered when he looked over his mother's shoulder at George. He felt nauseated. All he could see was Fred's limp body in George's face. Molly let go of him and Ron stood, staring at his brother. _Where are the bodies?_ Ron thought to himself. Deep down, he knew the answer. He just didn't want to look farther than his family's faces. He didn't want to see the ruins of the war. 

Ron could feel Hermione's concerned eyes watching him. He kept his expression hard, staring blankly ahead. 

"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked, waving her hand in front of Ron's face to get his attention. 

"I...don't know, actually," Hermione spoke, "I think he wanted some time." Her and Ron both knew he was under the invisibility cloak. He always did hate the spotlight, despite it always finding him. 

"You'd think he'd at least acknowledge us. We're practically his family."

"Ginny."

"It's true."

Ron couldn't take it anymore. The tone of annoyance in Ginny's voice felt too normal, and everything was so far from normal. He could feel himself shaking, as if he might pass out. 

"Ron?" Ginny asked. Her voice sounded miles away to him. "Do you need to go outside, or something? You look like you're going to be ill." 

Though Ginny's face was tear-stained and her heart was broken, she still managed to speak with an unwavering voice. _That's what happens when you grow up with brothers_ , she always told herself, _you pretend like none of it bothers you_.

But instead of leaving, Ron stayed. He was done with leaving. He was done with running away from the things that hurt. He gave Hermione's hand another squeeze and then dropped it and walked over to where his brother and father sat. He put his arms around George and let George collapse into him, or maybe it was Ron who collapsed into George. Either way, the hug broke a spell on the boys and tears began to pour down each of their faces. "I'm sorry," Ron spoke, so quietly that only George could hear. 

"Me too," George whispered back.

They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, George and Ron broke apart and Ron began to exchange hugs with all the other Weasleys, even Percy. When he got to Ginny, she grinned and whispered into his ear, "You know I'm going to force you to tell me everything that happened over the past few months."

"Give it time," Ron replied. Ginny nodded and understood. 

Ron's hand found it's way back into Hermione's, once Molly stopped fussing over the cuts on her arms. "You ought to get these looked at, or at least get some dittany on them," Molly was saying. Hermione was trying to reassure Molly that she was fine, but Molly simply didn't believe that.

With Hermione's hand in his, they took their seats at the table, Ron's legs collapsing from hours of standing and running. Hermione leaned into his shoulder. He could feel her body melt into his. 

"So what's next?" Ginny asked. The question that was dancing around all of their minds, the one they were all afraid to ask. What was supposed to happen after Voldemort was gone? How could they rebuild everything that was lost?

"Let's not worry about what's next," Arthur replied. He sat across from Ron with his arm around Molly, whose steady flow of tears had not stopped since Fred. 

"What I want to know," George spoke, the first words spoken aloud besides the _'I'm sorry'_ he mumbled into Ron's ear, "Is when _this_ happened." A grin grew on George's face, a stark contrast to the dark circles under his red eyes, and he pointed across the table at Ron and Hermione. The two of them exchanged glances and flushed red, which caused the remainder of the Weasley family to burst into giggles. Hermione shrugged and smiled up at Ron, who began to laugh alongside his siblings. It was the first time he had laughed, as in _really_ laughed, in a long time.


	3. Seven Hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if there are typos on this one! I...wrote this all in one sitting...

It had been seven hours since Voldemort fell, crumpling onto the floor of the Great Hall for all to see. The first few hours were filled with tears and confusion, people walking around aimlessly, not knowing where to go or whose arms to collapse into. Very few people had left Hogwarts. Some were rushed to St. Mungo's, their families tailing after them, but most everyone remained in the Great Hall. Students carried plates of food from the kitchen for everyone to eat. Some people scarfed up the food as if they had never seen any in their lives. Others could barely manage a bite. 

After hours of walking around the castle, Harry, Ron, and Hermione could no longer manage another step. The three of them were tucked underneath the invisibility cloak, which no longer covered all three of them the way it used to when they were eleven. Both Ron and Harry had to crouch down, and all three of their feet stuck out from underneath. They hoped nobody saw them, but after the day that had passed, they didn't think anybody would notice. Much more memorable things had happened that day. 

"We should eat," Hermione whispered. She could feel her stomach eating away at itself, a feeling that she had found herself experiencing a lot over the past few months on the run. Ron and Harry both shrugged in response. "Not particularly hungry," Ron replied, far from his usual appetite. 

"Then we should get some sleep, instead," Hermione spoke. She wanted to do something. She wanted to make everything okay, to fix the way they were all feeling, and if sleep and food were the only solutions she could come up with at the moment, then so be it. 

"You're right," Harry spoke. He was stumbling over his own feet, nearly tripping over stray rocks. If it wasn't for Ron at his side, Harry would have likely fallen to the ground hours ago. 

The sun was beginning to set and a darkness fell over the castle, which seemed to match the general feeling in each of them. People remained in the Great Hall, afraid to leave. Afraid to leave the comfort of their loved ones and the presence of those who were lost. Fred's body had been moved to the corner of the Great Hall, where all the victims of the battle lay out. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had yet to look at the bodies. As sleep tugged at the eyes of the people in the Great Hall, slowly they began to file up towards the dormitories. The Fat Lady swung open to everyone, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw alike. Cots were set up in the Great Hall as well, Neville leading groups of children in transfiguring tables into giant mattresses. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in the hallway of the Great Hall, watching as people moved towards beds or filed out the door. In the far corner of the hall, Hermione spotted the Weasleys, a band full of red-hair. Next to her, Ron's eyes were drawn to the bodies that peacefully lined the walls. Even from far away, they could spot Fred. The Weasley's hadn't traveled far from him. 

Hermione watched as Ron stared ahead towards his family, not budging from underneath the invisibility cloak. "Maybe the dorms will be more empty," Harry spoke. He had yet to reveal himself to anyone besides Harry and Hermione. He wasn't ready yet. 

"Good idea," Ron replied through gritted teeth. 

Hermione looked over at the Weasley's, noticing that Molly was pacing and glancing around. Probably looking for Ron, or for Bill, who had disappeared to help Neville transform the Great Hall into a sleeping porch. "I'll be right back," Hermione whispered. She slipped out of the invisibility cloak, unnoticed due to all the commotion in the room, and made her way towards the Weasley family. Quietly, she put an arm around Molly, who nearly jumped when she noticed the head of dark, curly hair. 

"Where have you been?" she asked, her voice still thick with tears that seemed to never stop flowing. 

"We've just been walking around," Hermione replied, "We're going to sleep upstairs." Molly nodded in response, seeming to understand that her youngest son and her practically-adopted son needed some time away from it all. 

"Okay," she spoke, gripping Hermione tightly, "Take care of them. And yourself. Don't forget that."

"I won't," Hermione replied, though she wasn't so sure. 

Hermione locked eyes with Ginny, who frowned at her from her seat on a table-turned-mattress. "Neville's been keeping the common room fairly empty," she spoke, "Saying that only people who really need quiet sleep can go up there. I'd assume he'd let you three in there." 

Hermione nodded and then held her hand out to Ginny. "I think all of you need quiet sleep as well."

"We'll be okay down here," Molly said. She didn't want to leave Fred's side. Ginny glanced at Hermione and stood up to take her hand. "Should I come with you?"

"I think Harry and Ron both could use you."

"Okay." 

Molly wrapped her daughter into one last hug for the day and then let the two girls go, who made their way towards the entrance to the Great Hall. Though they were invisible, Hermione could see the edges of Harry and Ron's shoes. She reached her hand out towards them, motioning for them to come along, and saw the pairs of shoes begin to follow her down the corridor and up the winding stairs towards the Gryffindor tower. 

They found the Gryffindor common fairly empty, thanks to Neville, with the exception of most of Dumbledore's Army. Seamus and Dean sat in the bright red chairs by the fire place, playing a game of chess without saying a thing. Once inside, Harry and Ron slipped the invisibility cloak off. Seamus and Dean looked up at them, and then immediately engulfed the boys, as well as Hermione, in hugs. No words were exchanged. Nothing needed to be said. 

"Our dorm is empty," Neville spoke, having just entered through the portrait hole behind Hermione and Ginny, "Kept it that way. Figured you three would want a kip at some point."

"Thanks, Neville."

At the sight of Harry, who had finally revealed himself to people besides Ron and Hermione, Ginny's expression filled with both anger and relief as she followed Dean and Seamus's lead and wrapped Harry in a hug. He held onto her tight, trying to fit all his apologies into a single hug. 

"Shower," Ron mumbled. Dean and Seamus parted the sea and allowed Harry, Ron, and Hermione to pass, who each made their way up towards the dormitory showers, separately. "You should get some sleep," Hermione overheard Ginny instruct Neville, sounding painfully like her mother, "I'll hangout down here. Make sure nobody bugs them." Neville took a seat on the couch and let his head rest on a pillow as Ginny stood by the portrait hole, nodding at Harry, as if letting him know that she'll be okay. 

"Hermione," Ron spoke, grabbing her hand before she ascended the stairs to the girls' dorm, "Stay in our room." She nodded in agreement, feeling relief rush over her. She hadn't wanted to sleep alone. Even though Ginny would be by her side, she didn't think she was capable of sleeping without Harry or Ron. _Especially Ron._

The shower water washed the grime off of her body and stung the cuts and scrapes that were peppered all over, from head to toe. From the purse she had kept slung across her body, Hermione grabbed her last pair of clean clothes and threw them over her body. An old t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, which had holes in them from weeks of sleeping in the woods. Hermione silently cursed herself for forgetting to give the boys their clothes from the bag. She knew that Neville or Seamus or Dean would probably offer something up to borrow, but she still berated herself for forgetting something so simple. 

Hermione found Harry and Ron both sitting on one of the poster-beds, Ron's head leaning against Harry's shoulder. Both of them had wet heads of hair and were wearing Puddlemere United shirts and old sweats, presumably borrowed from Seamus. In Ron's hands, he clutched his dirt and sweat-soaked t-shirt from earlier. Hermione made her way over to them and crouched in front of the two boys, putting her hand over Ron's. 

"Fred's," he spoke, nodding towards the shirt in his hands, "This...this was Fred's. You must have packed it...on accident. I didn't even realize I was...wearing it today."

It was a simple, green striped shirt that now looked as through it had been colored brown. It had fit Ron like it was one of his own. 

Instead of saying anything, which was her usual approach, Hermione sat on Ron's other side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He shifted from leaning his head against Harry and buried his face into Hermione's hair. She felt his whole body heave with each sob. "I'm sorry," she whispered, running her hands through his hair. 

The three of them stayed like that for a while, until eventually Harry's eyes began to close and he stood up and walked over to the bed across from them, and collapsed into it, not even bothering to get underneath the sheets. 

"Hermione," Ron whispered. He lifted his head from her shoulder, his eyes now dry, and stared into her eyes. "Hermione, I..."

"It's okay," Hermione replied, "You don't have to say anything."

And so, instead of saying anything, he took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. Instead of the passionate, we're-about-to-die kiss they had shared hours ago, this one was slower. Filled with the knowledge that they had all the time in the world left. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around him, letting her tears flow freely as they mixed with his. 

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he whispered when they finally broke apart. 

"Me too," Hermione whispered back. 

Across form them, Harry grunted from the bed and said, "Trust me, I know."

Ron and Hermione both flushed red and Ron tossed a pillow towards Harry, who waved his hand in protest and then appeared to drift right off to sleep. 

"Stay here," Ron whispered into Hermione's ear, so quiet that Harry wouldn't hear. 

"Okay," she said. She leaned her head on his chest and he gripped her close to him, not caring about the tingling feeling in his arm that indicated it was falling asleep and would soon lose feeling in the morning. They fell asleep instantly. It was the first time that both of them slept without nightmares in months.


	4. Seven Days

The burrow was quiet. It was the dead of night, all that could be heard were the occasional snores and whispers. The pitter-patter of Percy's feet pacing against the hardwood floor. Harry's tossing and turning. Ron's soft steady snoring. The sound of Ginny's quill against her parchment, scratching away words. 

Ginny hadn't been getting much sleep. Per their usual set-up, Hermione had been sleeping in Ginny's room and Harry in Ron's. But nearly every night, without fail, Hermione had woken up screaming. Ginny still had no idea about the details of the last few months for Hermione. Harry had filled her in on some things, but she knew he left out the darker parts. He would tell her when he was ready. Based on Hermione's sleep-yelling, Ginny had inferred that something had happened with Bellatrix, and it was something that Hermione couldn't even bare to speak about. 

Ginny could tell when it was about to happen. Hermione would start rolling, twisting up her blankets into knots, soft whimpers escaping her mouth. Ginny put down her quill the minute she heard Hermione begin to kick. She'd tried waking Hermione up, the night before, which didn't help much seeing as Hermione had fallen back asleep within moments and was full on hyperventilating in her sleep. 

Ginny knew what to do. She tiptoed around Hermione, who was now mumbling words in her sleep, and to the stairs. Gently, she nudged open the door to her youngest brother's room. At the sound of the door creaking open, both Harry and Ron sat up, Ron's hand immediately on his wand. "It's just me," Ginny whispered. She had been trying to be as gentle as possible, she really had, but the three of them had been so jumpy. Granted, everyone in the Weasley household had been jumpy since the war. But Harry, Ron, and Hermione...they seemed to be always on edge. Like they didn't know how to relax. 

Ginny looked at her brother. "Hermione's dreaming again." Ron was out of his bed before Ginny even finished her sentence. He threw pants over his boxers and nodded at Ginny, slipping past her and out of the room. Ginny could hear Hermione beginning to yell in her sleep. 

Harry sat on his cot on the floor. He placed his glasses on his face and blinked as Ginny came into picture. "Did you get any sleep?" he asked her. 

She shrugged. "Not really. I'm worried about her." Ginny made her way over to the cot on the floor and sat near Harry's feet. The cot sank under their combined weight. "And you, I might add."

"We'll be okay."

"I know. I can still worry."

"Yeah." Harry paused, running a hand through his hair. "Just sleep here," he told Ginny. 

"What about Hermione?" 

"Ron's with her." 

Ginny felt wracked with guilt for her friend - each night, she had been watching Hermione waking up full of fear. The girl she had always looked up to. Who had always managed to keep it together, aside from the occasional emotional outbursts. Ginny worried to see her so...weak. And each night, the four of them ended up in Ginny's room. Ron next to Hermione, Harry on the floor beside them, and Ginny huddled in her bed, feeling like she was both left out and a part of something at the same time. A feeling she had gotten used to when it came to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 

"You don't think we should go down there? Make sure she's okay?" The screams had stopped, which meant that Ron had woken Hermione up. 

"I don't think we would help much." Harry scooted over in his cot to make room for Ginny. "Lie down with me."

She slid underneath the covers and pressed her face into his chest, breathing him in. "I'm sorry," he spoke. 

"For what?"

"For everything." 

Ginny snuggled into his chest. She knew that there was a lot to apologize for, and there was a lot to talk about and tell one another. She knew it would be a slow process. She knew that perhaps, for a very long time, she would feel left out when it came to the three of them. But there, with Harry in the tiny cot on her brother's bedroom floor, she felt whole. Safe. Like she belonged. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Harry and Ginny drifted into sleep, Ron and Hermione sat wide awake, floors below them. Ron held onto Hermione so tightly that as she shook with fear, he did two. Like they were one person. "It's okay," Ron spoke, over and over again, "I'm here. You're okay." Hermione cried into his shirt, her body still aching with the memory of the Cruciatus Curse. 

It hadn't been so difficult for her, at first. Right after she was tortured, Hermione slept like a baby, perhaps due to the sleeping draught Fleur forced her to take. And then, they were planning. Hermione didn't have time to dwell on everything that had happened - she had to force the memories down, ignore the constant ache of her body. But once everything slowed down and the war ended, it all came running back. The first night, when she slept in the Gryffindor common room, she felt calm. Her body was too tired to feel anything else. But every night since then, she's been filled with fear, waking up in pools of her own sweat. She woke the whole Weasley house her first night back at the Burrow. Ginny's room was full of redheads the minute Hermione let out a scream - even George, who had been keeping to himself the past few days, found himself at Hermione's door, peering in. Of course, Ron was the only one who was able to calm her down. And now, after a few days of it, the Weasley's didn't all rush to her room at the sound of a scream. Of course, they heard it. And of course, their hearts broke. 

"I can't imagine..." Molly choked out, down the hall from where Hermione and Ron sat. Her eyes filled with tears every time she heard the girl wake up in terror, without fail. 

"Ron will take care of her," Arthur told Molly, holding her close. 

"Our boy. We did something right with him."

"We did something right with all of them."

Eventually, Hermione's body relaxed. Her sobs slowed and her breathing steadied. Her grip on Ron's shirt loosened. He felt her melt into him, no longer shaking. He wanted to hold onto her like that forever, to protect her from anything else bad every happening to her. "It's okay," he kept saying, "It's okay." 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping her eyes and pulling away. 

"Don't be."

"I want this to stop."

"I know."

"I feel like I'm completely...completely out of control."

"It's not your fault."

"This isn't happening to you or Harry, or any of your family. I'm sure they're getting quite tired of being woken up by me." Hermione frowned and looked down at her lap. 

"Hermione, you were tortured, for Merlin's sake." Ron puts his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "My family is not tired of you. They get it. We've all been through stuff, yeah?"

"I...I guess...I'm...I'm sorry for waking you up, and for making you come down here," she mumbled, glancing down at her lap again. Ron had to cup her face with his hands and pull her chin up to make her look at him again. 

"You're not making me do anything. Promise. You should know by now, I'm a stubborn prat. Wouldn't do anything I didn't want to do."

Hermione let out a small laugh and shook her head, before lowering her voice and letting her anxiety speak for her. "What if the dreams never stop?" she asked. She began running her hands up and down her arms, as if attempting to soothe herself. 

"They will," Ron told her, taking her hands in his, "And if they don't, I promise I won't get tired of it. I won't leave you. I'll sit with you every single night like this." Feeling his face go red at the implication of his words, Ron added, "I mean, er, if you want me to, you can kick me out any time I start annoying you, or - "

Ron didn't have a chance to finish his fumbling because Hermione grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his, which she had found was her new favorite way of communicating with the boy she had been in love with since the age of thirteen. He responded enthusiastically, as usual, placing his hands on her back and pulling her even closer to him. 

She placed her hands on his chest and pulled away, just enough for her to be able to whisper against his mouth. "And what if I annoy you?" she teased. 

"Then I'll just have to shut you up," he whispered back, closing the gap between them again. Hermione hit him on the arm, playfully, but didn't stop him. _If only we had used this as a solution to all those years of bickering_ , Hermione thought to herself. 

Suddenly, Ron broke away, eyes wide as if he had just realized something. "Wait," he said. Hermione frowned at him and raised an eyebrow, a look that made him want to shut up and kiss her, again. "I haven't...I want to...I'm in love with you, Hermione Granger." Hermione felt her face turn bright red and a smile formed on her face as Ron continued talking, "Just thought I should tell you, because I've never properly told you, you know, and I'm usually rubbish at timing and wait too long to do anything, so...I'm in love with you. Have been for years. Too thick to do anything about it until now, but - " 

Again, Hermione cut him off before he could finish his sentence by kissing him back, this time more passionately before. An urgent kiss. Both of them trying to wrap up years of unspoken feelings into one kiss. "I'm in love with you too," Hermione breathed against his lips. 

"Brilliant," he smiled, and continued to kiss her. 

After what felt like hours, the two of them broke apart, their eyelids beginning to close underneath the weight of sleep. "Stay down here with me?" Hermione asked as they leaned back onto the pillows of the cot, hands tangled in one another's hair. 

"Always."

Underneath the covers, Hermione snuggled into Ron, pressing her body against his. Trying to close all the gaps of space between the two of them, as if making up for years of too much space. 

"Hermione?"

"Mmm?"

"You're going to be okay." He said it reassuringly, as if there was no other option. His voice quieted the worries in her mind, worries about falling asleep and waking up all over again to the same screams, the same vicious cycle. When Ron told her it was going to be okay, all her worries went away and she knew that he was right. That everything would be okay.


End file.
